Fastest Internet Providers of 2017

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The Fastest Internet Providers

It seems like nowadays you can’t do anything without the internet—work, leisure, and even social circles rely on some sort of internet connection—so it makes sense that one of our most asked questions is Who is the fastest internet provider near me? This is a straightforward question with a less-than-straightforward answer.

Internet speeds differ based on where you live. Plus, your speed requirements are also affected by how you use the internet. But if you’re like us and you use the internet for just about everything, then these are the top providers to consider.

Fastest Internet Providers

To find the fastest ISPs, we used the latest Measuring Broadband Report from the FCC. The 15,000+ word report “provides a performance benchmark” for ISPs, 1 and we paid particular attention to any data relating to download and upload speeds.

The FCC explains 80/80 speed as the “speed that at least 80% of subscribers experience at least 80% of the time over peak periods (7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m local time).”

The FCC explains 80/80 speed as the “speed that at least 80% of subscribers experience at least 80% of the time over peak periods.”

The 80/80 speed metric is the most relevant data for this article because it covers the majority of users, and it’s measured at a time when you’re most likely to use the internet—when you’re at home in the evening getting some R R.

To figure out which ISPs made the top five, we found the highest percentages for 80/80 speed vs. advertised speed. Because download speed is a bigger pain point for users, we gave more weight to download speed than upload speed in our rankings. The fastest ISPs are ordered by highest download speeds (80/80 vs. advertised), and we made sure each of the five had upload speeds (again, 80/80 vs. advertised) near 100%.

While Comcast may be one of the least popular internet providers in the country, its internet speeds are some of the best in the industry.

Out of the top five fastest ISPs, Optimum is the most affordable. Its basic plan, Optimum 10, offers 10 Mbps for $24.95 a month with no contract. (Some of us at Reviews.org pay almost twice as much for less than 10 Mbps, and we’re still stuck with a contract.) However, if you live outside the tri-state area, there’s no chance of getting Optimum—it is fast and affordable, but it’s not widely available.

The most widely available ISP that’s still fast and affordable is XFINITY. (Yes, really.) It’s available in 40 states, whereas Optimum is only available in four. XFINITY is also fast—the 80/80 download speed is 100%—and it’s just as or more affordable than other ISPs. XFINITY’s basic plan, Performance Starter, starts at $29.99 a month—the same as Charter’s basic plan and $5 less per month than Time Warner Cable’s basic plan.

XFINITY deservedly gets a bad rap for its customer service (see our review ), but it’s more than likely XFINITY is the fastest and most affordable ISP that’s available where you live.

Fastest ISPs for remote or rural areas

Best for Rural Areas

HughesNet was the winner of our 2017 Best Satellite Internet post for the second year in a row. If satellite internet is your only option, then HughesNet is your best choice.

Because all of the top five fastest ISPs use either cable or fiber internet, they’re not available in remote or rural areas. If you have access to only satellite internet, we found HughesNet to be the fastest satellite internet provider (see “The Best Satellite Internet of 2017” for more info).

If you can get DSL service, we recommend it over satellite internet because it typically has higher data caps and faster speeds. However, if it’s a choice between dial-up and satellite, we’d go with satellite internet.

If you’re still not sure what internet provider in your area is fastest, just ask us in the comments section. We’ll help you find it.

The fastest type of internet connection

It’s no coincidence the fastest ISPs use either fiber or cable. In its annual report, the FCC reported that fiber-based internet consistently has the highest speeds, while cable internet is “driving growth in new high speed service tiers.” 2

Fiber-based internet consistently has the highest speeds, while cable internet is “driving growth in new high speed service tiers.”

DSL internet has the potential to be just as fast as cable, but the FCC noted a growing disparity between the two internet types for reasons such as the need to update DSL infrastructure and a lack of investment in the technology. Whatever the reasons may be, DSL just isn’t performing as well as fiber or cable, and the FCC noticed no significant speed-enhancing improvements in DSL technology over the past five years.

What is high-speed internet?

Internet service with 4 Mbps download speed used to qualify as “high-speed” according to the FCC. In 2015, the FCC changed the standard to 25 Mbps. However, just because something is advertised as “high-speed internet” doesn’t mean it adheres to the FCC’s standards.

What is broadband internet?

Broadband internet is used interchangeably with “high-speed internet.” It typically refers to internet technology, such as fiber, cable, or DSL.

What about Google Fiber? I don t see it mentioned in this article.

At this time, Google Fiber is not expanding its service. Google Fiber already has an extremely limited footprint, and now that it’s no longer part of Google’s future plans, we decided not to cover it in this article.

We looked at the 80/80 speed of ten of the best-known internet service providers and compared the difference between advertised speed and actual speed.

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